A night of “spooky” Suffrage history: Circle of the Watchfire

AAUW Murfreesboro is proud to partner with Chick History, a Nashville nonprofit that seeks to uncover the hidden roles of women throughout history.

In 1917, the National Woman’s Party began picketing the White House to pressure President Woodrow Wilson to support the Susan B. Anthony Amendment—votes for women. Silent Sentinels, as they were known, picketed in shifts around the clock. After two years, they turned up the heat. Placing a giant cauldron in front of the White House, suffragists kept a perpetual fire ablaze to burn effigies and hypocritical speeches of the President. These protests became known as Watchfires. Hundreds of women picketed and dozens were jailed over this period in their fight for the vote. In 1920, the Susan B. Anthony Amendment was ratified by the final state—Tennessee—and became the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.

Chick History invites you to A Watchfire Party, a modern adaptation of these historic protests, complete with a cauldron ceremony. Join us for a lively and engaging evening as we honor Tennessee picketers Mary Church Terrell and Sue Shelton White and feature select historical readings ranging from Anti-Suffrage Pamphlets to the NAACP’s The Crisis Magazine. Hear some of the most outlandish arguments of the time against suffrage, as well as the words of suffrage leaders demanding votes for women.